The Educational Advancement Centre (EAC) has called for classrooms and learning systems that accommodate the diverse educational needs of children, saying every learner should be given the opportunity to thrive irrespective of differences in learning ability.

The call was made on Friday at the EAC Education Futures Forum, held to mark the organisation’s 30th anniversary, with the theme, “Celebrating Legacy: Inspiring the Future.”

The founder of EAC, Pastor (Mrs) Adeola Bamgbose, said the organisation’s three-decade journey had reinforced its conviction that “every child can learn, and every child matters.”

Bamgbose, who reflected on the establishment of EAC in 1996 with three students and its growth to an institution with more than 10,000 alumni worldwide, said the organisation was renewing its commitment to inclusive education.

She said EAC’s experience with a blind student in 2011 deepened its understanding of the need to identify and respond to educational needs that may not always be immediately visible.

According to her, greater attention should be paid to children with hidden disabilities, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and sensory-processing challenges.

She said such learners should not be described as “broken, lazy or slow”, but understood as individuals who may simply learn differently.

Bamgbose advocated classrooms designed to accommodate diverse learners, increased use of technology as an assistive tool and greater empowerment of teachers to recognise abilities in children with disabilities.

Also speaking, the guest speaker, Dr Bunmi Fola Bolumole, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan, stressed the need for early identification and appropriate support for children with special educational needs.

Speaking on “Identifying and Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities,” Bolumole said difficulties with attention, communication, language or learning should not lead to the conclusion that a child was incapable.